ly son of a rich widow, but that his unconquerable love for a
sailor's profession had made him take a place before the mast, so
that his mother should see that he was in earnest. When he had
passed his examination, she would certainly get him his own ship.

The lonely family who had drawn away from all their former friends,
received him without the slightest suspicion. And he described with
a light heart and fluent tongue his home with its high, pointed
roof, the great open fireplace in the dining-room and the little
leaded glass panes. He also painted the silent streets of his
native town and the long rows of even houses, built in the same
style, against which his home, with its irregular buttresses and
terraces, made a pleasant contrast. And his listeners believed that
he had come from one of those old burgher houses with carved gables
and with overhanging second stories, which give such a strong
impression of wealth and venerable age.

Soon enough she saw that he cared for her. And that gave her mother
and sisters great joy. The young, rich Swede came as if to raise
them all up from their poverty. Even if she had not loved him,
which she did, she would never have had a thought of saying no to
his proposal. If she had had a father or a grown-up brother, he
could have found out about the stranger's extraction and position,
but neither she nor her mother thought of making any inquiries.
Afterwards she saw how they had actually forced him to lie. In the
beginning, he had let them imagine great ideas about his wealth
without any evil intention, but when he understood how glad they
were over it, he had not dared to speak the truth for fear of
losing her.

Before he left they were betrothed, and when the lugger came again,
they were married. It was a disappointment for her that he also on
his return appeared as a sailor, but he had been bound by his
contract. He had no greetings either from his mother. She had
expected him to make another choice, but she would be so glad, he
said, if she would once see Astrid.--In spite of all his lies, it
would have been an easy matter to see that he was a poor man, if
they had only chosen to use their eyes.

The captain offered her his cabin if she would like to make the
journey in his vessel, and the offer was accepted with delight.
Boerje was almost exempt from all work, and sat most of the time on
the deck, talking to his wife. And now he gave her the happiness of
fancy, such as